


The Kwami's Fumble

by therrinninja



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 10:45:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13188450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therrinninja/pseuds/therrinninja
Summary: The Kwamis are loose, and causing trouble! Okay, one is. You can probably guess which one. He's loose and has to get back to his Miraculous holder!





	The Kwami's Fumble

Tikki’s day was quiet, as usual. She settled in the purse Marinette carried, and quietly nibbled a crumb that had come away from the cookies Marinette had deposited earlier that morning. The lecture drifted through, explaining the nuance of the current poetry study, at which it sounded Adrien was excelling. Marinette hummed a bit as she shifted, clearly trying her hand at writing her own poem. Drowsy was the least of it - Tikki was feeling downright soporific.  
Her eyes were mere slits when a raspy throat was cleared. Sudden awareness struck her, her eyes snapped open, and she stared at the intruder in stunned horror.  
“Hi there, Tikki. Funny seeing you around.”  
Her paw slammed against his mouth, silencing Plagg. “What are you doing here?”  
His words couldn't’ make their way around her hand, and he sarcastically rolled his eyes when she removed her limb.  
“I said, I happened to be in the area and my boy is writing some really sappy Ladybug poetry and I couldn’t take it anymore.”  
“So you started snooping in other people’s bags? Plagg, that’s invasive!”  
“Yeah, but it was something to do. Didn’t expect you to be here, though!” His grin was actually sincere, and Tikki softened.  
“It’s good to see you too, Plagg. It’s been a long time. But we can’t really catch up right now. Is there any way you can convince your holder to spend time with mine?”  
Plagg paused. “Does this mean you want me to share who my holder is, before they even find each other?”  
“Well,” Tikki breathed, “it would be good for them to learn how to work with each other as civilians, whether or not they know that they’re partners as superheros”. Plagg’s grin began to widen, while Tikki’s hackles to raise a little. More and more teeth were revealed when finally- “No. But I do have a question. Do you know whose bag you’re in right now?”  
“Hmmmmm, let’s see. Sits very near my holder. Inside of the bag is pink, with spots - man, did she have a thing for spots before becoming Ladybug? Lucky - I think I have an idea who your holder is.”  
“Then trying to hide it is pointless. Fine, Plagg, who is your holder?”  
The tiny cat puffed his chest out, and, very gravely, stated “The holder of my Miraculous is Adrien Agrest.”  
“Oh my. Oh no oh no oh no.”  
“What?”  
The small red Kwami looked concerned. Very concerned. “Plagg, I don’t know if we should….”  
“Come oooon, Tikki, you just said they need to learn to work together. What, is your holder going to die from being near Adrien?”  
She stared at him so pointedly he doubled back from his joke. “W-will she actually die?”  
“No.” she gave a measured sigh. “But she won’t handle it well, either.”  
“Not even for a friends outing?”  
“Plagg, have you seen how Marinette acts around Adrien?”  
“Well yeah, but-”  
“She can’t even talk straight to a photo of his face.”  
“Kid’s got it bad, huh?”  
“Very bad.”  
The two settled into thoughtful silence.  
“You know, there’s also the reverse. My kid’s got it really bad for Ladybug”  
Tikki blinked. “Really?”  
“Oh yeah. He’s had a crush on her ever since the first Akuma. Total romantic. Becomes a total mess when he’s in civvies and runs into her. And he writes poetry about her, did I mention?”  
“But…” Tikki tapped her nose, pondering. “They’re both fine when it’s Marinette and Chat Noir. “  
“Well yeah. Then it’s just a classmate and her superhero classmate. Even if they don’t know they’re classmates. No weird teenager feelings there.”  
“But that defeats the purpose of them working together as civilians…”  
There was a sudden thump, and bump, and a lurch when Marinette (and from the sound of it, the entire class) began packing up and shuffling out.  
“Well, it’s been real, Tikki,” started Plagg, “but-”  
“Plagg, no! It’s too dangerous right now!” Tikki seized his tail and dragged him back through the fabric. “Someone will see you!”  
“So I’m just supposed to go home with you?”  
“It’s not ideal,” she sighed, “But not as terrible as getting accidentally kidnapped.”  
“What, that happened to you?”  
“That isn’t relevant right now.”  
“You brought it up. The perfect Tikki was kidnapped! When did this happen?”  
“Plagg, we need to get you back to Chat Noir - I mean, well, yes.”  
The sounds outside shifted, and the Kwamis deduced that Marinette had left the school building.  
“Well?”  
Tikki glared at the fabric in front of her in thought. “Hold on.”  
Whatever she was thinking, it was interrupted with an enormous crash. The bag they rode in was suddenly steady, then began bouncing vigorously. Their dark space cracked wide open, and Marinette’s face loomed over them.  
“Tikki! There’s an Akuma! We need to-” Marinette blinked. “Hello?”  
Plagg and Tikki lifted up to the opening of the purse, and Tikki cried out, “Marinette! Chat Noir won’t be able to help right now! This is his Kwami, Plagg. We can explain later, but for now, do you think you can fight alone?”  
Her eyebrows immediately furrowed in determination. “Of course” Marinette nodded once, maintaining eye-contact. “Plagg, can you hide in my hair while I’m transformed?”  
He nodded. “Knowing Chat, he’ll be near the fighting, even if he can’t transform.”  
“Okay, then Tikki! Transform me!”  
Plagg had, of course, seen the Ladybug transformation before. He stayed silent, but noticed something that relaxed him a bit.  
Marinette smiled during her transformation, too.  
So many Miraculous holders were scared, or just determined. He always liked the people who enjoyed being heros best.  
As soon as the transformation finished, he zipped over and buried himself in one of her pigtails. “Okay, I’m in”  
Ladybug went to nod, then paused. “Are you sure? Do you feel secure?”  
“Kid, I’ve been in a few fights before. I can hold on.”  
Ladybug nodded. “Okay! Let’s go!”  
Riding in Ladybug's hair gave Plagg a chance to watch an Akuma fight from a whole new perspective. It also gave him a chance to feel some real guilt. Adrien would be nearby, and upset. Plagg popped his head out, and looked around.  
Ladybug was hunkered behind a chimney, peering around at the Akuma, who was some kind of car-sized, elephant-shaped attacker. A crack of lightening lashed past them, and a scream of rage called out.  
“Geeze, that’s one unhappy Akuma.”  
“Definitely. You don’t happen to see Chat Noir in the crowd, do you? I could really use his help.”  
Plagg stared around, furrowing his brow until his job was made, suddenly, extremely easy.  
A suit of armor had marched out towards the Akuma, and had tried to shout. What actually happened was an awful, metallic roar, and the suit of armor clapped its hands to its head, hunching over.  
“That would be him,” was the accidental chorus between Plagg and Ladybug.  
“It’s not a terrible idea,” mused Ladybug, “and it might actually work…”  
She stood, in the safety of the distraction, and summoned her Lucky Charm, and received - a length of wire. Plagg grabbed ahold as she swung down to land next to the knight.  
“Chat, can you lure the Akuma over to a fire hydrant?”  
The knight saluted and, clanking and clattering, marched over towards the Akuma. What he then tried to shout was probably “Hey!”, but what actually emanated from the helm was another formidable roar. The elephant stamped its feet, and lowered its head to charge.  
It was hard to decide what reminded Ladybug that Chat Noir didn’t have his strength, but it was somewhere between Plagg’s “Look out!” and Chat’s extended howl of panic, which continued as Ladybug hooked her yoyo over the street lamp and flipped him away from the danger. The Akuma charged past and under Chat, and into Ladybug’s reach. With a practiced flick she snapped the wire around the elephant’s tusks, then flicked the other end around the fire hydrant.  
The fire hydrant lit up with the sudden electric charge, and while the Akuma discharged, Ladybug lowered Chat back to the ground and crouched beside him.  
“Any idea what the item is?”  
“I think I saw a bag around the Akuma’s neck. That’s probably it.”  
“Thanks, Kitty,” Ladybug rubbed the helm and grinned, then stood. Striding towards the Akuma, she saw that there was hardly a spark now, and she was able to tug the bag off the Akuma’s neck and dismiss the butterfly without even a static shock. A young man in a tee-shirt sat up, and hesitantly took back his TESLA bag back from Ladybug, who then lead him over to some EMTs nearby. Then she turned, and strode back to her partner.  
“Aren’t you a little short to be a knight?”  
He struck a pose, as much as he could in the ill-fitting suit. “Does My Lady like? I figured it might be time for a costume change!”  
“Or maybe” Ladybug grinned as she tapped on the eye-guard, “My partner ran into the skirmish with his pants around his ankles?”  
“A cat is never unprepared. A cat simply is sometimes caught off-guard.”  
“Oh, really? I’ll have to remember that next time I flick your ear and you jump in shock”  
“Maybe, My Lady, I let you surprise me. It’s always far more fun.”  
“More fun than running around without your Kwami?”  
“How-?”  
“Silly kitty, I know you’re suitless under there.”  
There was a heavy silence from the suit.  
“But I still appreciate the effort. Kitty, don’t put yourself in danger like that, okay?” She rubbed the helm again, and smiled up at the eye-guard. Green eyes blinked back, wide with shock. Very green-  
“Your earrings!”  
Her heart jumped as he did, and she clapped her hand to her ear. “Oh, yeah! Sorry Chat, I have to go!” And she did, sprinting away from the crowd and from her unmasked Chat Noir, who was left breathless with adoration.

It was with great embarrassment that Adrien found himself asking Tom Dupain if he could use their place to remove his armor. He had tried to consider walking farther, but the armor was pinching in the worst spots, and he needed it off. Tom was gracious, leading the boy upstairs and wishing him luck. He even offered to gift Chat Noir some pastries if he would come downstairs afterward. Adrien thanked him profusely, and shuffled through the front door.  
The flat was empty, to his great relief. He shucked himself of the armor, helm first, then gauntlets and breastplate. There was a banging noise just as he dropped it on the couch, and when he looked around the room, only to meet the eyes of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, halfway down the stairs from her room.  
“Ma- Marinette! Hey! Um, sorry for using your living room.” He was picking at one of the straps to the bracers, and hoping against hope-  
“O-oh! I, um yeah! No problem!”  
“Yeah! When I saw Ladybug out there, I realized I could help, and found this suit of armor!”  
“You I saw! I mean, I saw you! You sure were there, and helping! But I could have sworn-”  
“Yep! I sure wish Chat Noir could have helped, but I couldn’t let Ladybug go in without help, right?”  
“I-” Marinette’s face looked frozen, as if she had been hit over the head by something, and couldn’t understand what had happened. She stared at Adrien, still twisting the bracer against his wrist, and her brow slowly began to furrow. “Then did, um- but he was- you were-” Then she laughed, a little too hard, and smiled at him. “You’re really amacactazing- amaziting- gah! Amazing at acting! I bet Ladybug didn’t even realize you weren’t Chat Noir!”  
A tiny screaming sound came from near her, and Marinette clapped a hand over her purse. “That was nothing! Not my purse, making noises! That’d be crazy, right? Who has a purse that makes noise when they don’t want it to? Nobody, that’s who!” Double finger guns, and an awkward grin, and Marinette had somehow managed to get down the stairs and shuffle towards the kitchen area by the time she had finished the sentence. “So, um, what was it like, fighting with Ladybug? Well, not with, more next to? Helping out, or alongside? Is that right? Though you shouldn’t. Not that you aren’t able to! But it’s dangerous, and I-ssshhe wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”  
Another muffled scream, closer now, caused them both to pause.  
Adrien laughed, finally taking off the bracers. “She said the same thing, you know? That I shouldn’t have helped. And I guess I shouldn’t have. She can take care of herself in a fight, but I couldn’t just stay back and not help.”  
“Yeah, you are kind of amazing like that. To be brave enough to help! But really, the superheros are prepared to take hits we just can’t. They are the ones who-”  
But Adrien wasn’t looking at her. His jaw was clenched as he stared about a foot to her right, and when she turned, panic flooded through her.  
Plagg was just merging through her fridge door. As a Kwami could, but shouldn’t, do in company.  
Marinette wrenched the fridge open, seized the tiny black cat, and slammed the fridge shut again. She whipped around to see that Adrien had moved towards her, eyes wide as saucers.  
“This is my uh, my kitten! Plagg! And I’m just going to take him upstairs, bebackinaminute!” She dashed for her loft as Adrien gaped on, flabbergasted at the state of affairs. 

The hatch to the stairs had barely slammed shut when Tikki burst from the purse. “Plagg! That was very dangerous!”  
Marinette let go of the Kwami and nodded vigorously. “You can’t just go revealing yourself to anyone! What would your Miraculous holder say?”  
Plagg hovered where she had released him, and glared at her. “You know what he would say? ‘Oh Plagg, thank you so much for bringing me and Ladybug together! I didn’t know that your love of cheese would be the thing that would finally get Ladybug to fall into my arms. How can I repay you? Maybe these crates of Camembert might start?’ That’s what he’d say.”  
“What?”  
“Plagg you wouldn’t-”  
Plagg held up a paw. “You hear that? That’s my ride. Wait-” He whisked down through the hatch, then back up as Marinette and Tikki gaped. “Yep, that’s my ride. I’ll be seeing ya!”  
And with a flash, the tiny black Kwami flashed through the hatch with a wave.  
“Wait!” Marinette wrenched it open after him, and tumbled into Adrien Agrest, his hand outstretched to push the hatch open.  
His eyes snapped to the red Kwami by her ear as hers fixated on his green irises, irises she could have sworn were Chat’s-  
His focus changed, and she realized he was staring into her face, studying it. She dragged her own eyes away to stare at Plagg, sitting on Adrien’s shoulder, tiny cat mouth pulling a smirk.  
“Just, uh just-”  
“Holding onto the Kwamis for a friend?”  
Marinette looked back into Adrien’s eyes and gulped. “Ye-yeahh…”  
And then Adrien grinned rakishly, and winked. “I’m sure he’ll be glad you’ve taken such great care of him! But you’d like help getting Ladybug’s back to her, I’d be glad to help!”  
A high voice piped up in her ear. “Th-that’s right, Marinette! We should get me back to Ladybug as soon as possible!”  
The words crawled out, completely disconnected from her brain. “Yes, we can go look for Ladybug together…”  
Adrien’s grin to nearly split is face, and he took her hand and lead her down the stairs. “Great! Where did you find her Kwami?”  
“In- in my room!”  
He shot a look back up the steps. “Really? Could that mean-”  
He ran back up the steps, pausing at the top to compose himself before knocking. “Hello? Is anyone up there?” He looked down to Marinette. “Is there any way out of your room besides here and the balcony?”  
“N-no, none.”  
“Then she must be up there! Marinette, Ladybug might be hiding in your room!”  
Marinette had to blink at the sentence, then tried to think straight. “But that would mean she would be out of mask. Do you really want to burst up there and find out her identity?”  
Adrien sighed. “I wish I knew who she is, but I don’t want to intrude on her. Is there any way-” His eyes lighted on Tikki “Wait! You can go in and find her, right?”  
“I-yes! But first I need a cookie! That’s why we stopped by at all, was because Ladybug’s time was running out, and I needed a snack!” Tikki waved her arms emphatically to try to make the idea more believable, though Marinette quietly wondered at how close to the truth it was.  
"I-um-Yes!" Marinette snatched the bag from her side, opened and fetched a cookie, and thrust it at Tikki. The red Kwami grabbed it and flew up through the hatch, and the two classmates stood below with bated breath.  
Then her voice piped down from above. “Marinette? Could you come up here?”  
Marinette tumbled up the stairs, glancing over at Adrien as she reached top open the hatch. He had lifted a hand to shield his eyes, turning away just in case. Just as she looked away he murmered, “Thanks, Marinette.”  
She closed the door gently, and turned to face Tikki. The Kwami waved an arm, and lead Marinette over to her chaise lounge. “Marinette, pretend to be Ladybug!”  
“Oh, um right!” She clenched her fists and squared her feet, throwing her shoulders back. “Why Tikki! There you are! Where did you get to?”  
“Ladybug! We need to leave, there are too many people here!” 

Adrien stood under the hatch for what felt like ages, before Marinette opened it up.  
“She’s gone.”  
Adrien scampered up a few steps, peering into the room.  
“S-she was here? What was she like? Did she say anything?”  
She gulped. “Um, she was cool. Very Ladybug.”  
Adrien’s eyes sparkled. “Thanks Marinette. Ladybug is just so amazing, I can’t imagine her being any less so out of costume.”  
“Wh-” Marinette huffed, “What if she’s not? What if she’s really normal?”  
“Ladybug? I don’t think so. Even as a normal person she’s got to be awesome. Probably super nice and popular and amazing!”  
“Y-you think so?” Marinette seemed to deflate in his radiant confidence. “Because-”  
“Nooooooooooooooo!” In a red blur, Tikki threw herself in front of Marinette. “Don’t tell him!”  
Two startled voices chorused “Tikki!”  
Adrien’s eyebrows gathered in confusion. “But weren’t you with Ladybug? What are you doing here?”  
“Yes, Tikki, what are you doing here? Aren’t you with Ladybug?” Plagg mocked.  
But the two friends were staring at each other.  
“Adrien-”  
“Marinette, did you lie-”  
Tiny red arms waved “Marinette, no!”  
Marinette dug her fingers into her sleeves, staring anywhere but at Adrien’s hurt and confusion. “I- I …. Um….” she gulped, then looked up at Tikki, “Sorry, Tikki. Please, Transformez-moi.”  
The transformation was quick, but left an equally sheepish Ladybug standing in front of Adrien.  
Adrien’s mouth hung fully open, eyes fixated on the fidgeting superhero. Plagg tried to nudge his face once, then twice, but to no avail. He finally pushed Adrien’s mouth shut, and the boy woke enough to step slowly up the stairs toward his crush. “Marinette-”  
“I-I’m sorry. I just couldn’t keep lying to you like that. You can't tell anyone, ever. I hope you understand.”  
Adrien wordlessly wrapped his arms around his partner, and whispered, “Of course I do.”  
She had closed her eyes as her head bounced off of his chest, but they snapped open for his next words. “Transformez-moi.”  
Black leather crept up under her hands, and she gaped openly as he winked, his mask materializing over his eyes. “Chat?”  
“My Lady.” His smile was back, wide and endlessly excited. He placed his hands on her shoulders as she leaned back to stare, blue eyes huge.  
“But when-”  
“It must have been just before we had our first class, right?”  
“But how-”  
“I mean, you found me, Miss Maladroit!”  
“But-”  
“Bugaboo,” He shook her gently, bending his head down gently, “Does it matter? We finally found each other. And I couldn’t ask for a better alter-ego for My Lady”  
“But-”  
Worry began to set in. “Is it me?”  
Ladybug blinked, then shook her head. “N-no! I just-” she dropper her face in her hands.  
“What’s the matter?”  
The response was muffled.  
“What?”  
Her shoulders tensed under his hands, and she clapped her hands down against her legs. “B-because I like you!”  
“Bugaboo! I like you too!”  
She froze, and slowly straightened, blue eyes fixed on his. “A-Adrien-Chat, I don’t mean that- oh, oh no. I just, well.” she sighed. “De-transformez-moi.”  
Chat Noir’s heart fluttered as as the red magic rushed around, revealing Marinette, blushing like a rising sun.  
“Chat. I, well, um-”  
"Can I kiss you?" The question left him breathless, watching as she blinked, once, then again.  
“Yes?”  
“Really?”  
Marinette grinned fondly, blue eyes twinkling up at her partner, and nodded. “Yeah. I- I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to write these kids as goofy and dense as in the show. I spent a lot of the time writing screaming. Lots of screaming. God these kids are so dense. 
> 
> I had so much fun! I hope you did too!


End file.
